Batman's 1st 1940's Title Card in English Discovered!
Through all my research to date, the Non-Sports Card Industry has indicated there are No Known Authentic examples of Batman Menko (or any Batman card) that dates to the 1940's....Until Now! This may be the Biggest Batman discovery in Non-Sport Card History! I have only a few other examples that date to the late 1940's, but this particular Batman Menko (pic above) sits above all the rest. The artwork on this Batman Menko is Amazing! Below I will go into detail on what makes this Batman Menko so special & how we know this Batman Menko dates to a very specific time in History.....1947-1949!!
After WWII, General Douglas MacArthur took over as Supreme Commander of the US Occupation of Japan. In 1945 he banned all manner of Japanese pop culture, Japanese military, nationalistic imagery & Samurai from children's toys & paper products (including Menko). The Japanese embraced Western Culture & began to print Western Actors, US Military, Superheroes & all types of Western culture on Menko during the US Occupation period spanning from 1945-1952. This period can be narrowed down to an even smaller period of time. Something occurred on Japanese Menko for only a 3 year period in the late 1940's. The fact this is a "Japanese" Menko of Batman with his name in "English" is the big give away. Japanese Menko was popular for having English instead of Japanese on them from 1947-1949. Here's why....
During this window between 1947-1949, many Menko card sets prominently featured English on the front of Japanese Baseball & Non-Sports Menko. This was highly influenced by the presence of American Occupation Troops. It made it easier for foreign soldiers to identify and pronounce the names of Japanese Wrestlers, Sumo & Baseball sports stars. It also reflected a broader, sudden craze for Western style & English words, which was popular among the Japanese public at that time. However, this trend was short lived. After WWII, towards the end of the US Occupation, the Japanese domestic market took back full control of manufacturing. Traditional themes surged back into popularity & English lettering mostly disappeared all together from Menko by 1950. To be clear, there was English letters & words used on Menko after 1950. But, it's never "stand alone" English. Especially a front Title name in English. It is always accompanied by a type of Japanese Kanji, Katakana or Hiragana language alongside it. But there is another interesting fact to this Amazing Story!
At the beginning of this 1947-49 period, in 1947 there was a Company established named Kagome Toy that made Menko cards (not to be confused with the food company named Kagome Co.). Kagome Toy made Menko from 1947-1955/56 & are easily identified by the 6-pointed Star Logo that is on the back of their Menko. Easily verified. Oddly enough, Kagome produced superhero, pop culture, & movie characters on Menko cards with English Titles that Peaked from 1947-1949! This perfectly coincides with the same 3 year period we see English on Japanese Menko....from 1947-1949!
Next we look at this Batman Menko under magnification. The card stock is porous & very fibrous (pics below). Definitely a 1940's trait. Very evident with a jewelers loop. The ink is absorbed into the paper, rather than just laying on the top like we see in the 1950's offset Lithography examples. All the ink is solid, with only a few visible spots of half-toning dots that have bled together, which is common in 1940's Menko. Another major factor is the Ink Bleed through on the back of the Menko. You can see some of the red ink from the front that has bled through and visible on the back. More common for 1940's Menko, but Not common at all in the 1950's offset Lithography Menko. This Batman Menko is exactly what we expect to see on an authentic 1940's Menko under magnification. Lets put together the facts:
-After WWII, Japanese used English on Menko due to US Occupation that peaked from 1947-49 & abruptly stopped in 1950. English text or letters after 1950 included some type of Japanese language alongside it.
-Kagome Toy made Menko starting in 1947 & peaked in printing Superhero Menko with English titles during the same years of 1947-1949.
-Under Magnification, this Batman Menko displays all the requirements for an Authentic 1940's Block Printed Menko & Not an offset Litho Menko from the 1950's.
Even though there are several clues placing this Batman Menko in the 1940's, the biggest clue is the Bat Man in "English." Lucky for us, this happened in a very specific time in Japanese Menko History & is easily verified.
Unlike the 1936 Wolverine Card, what we are looking at here is Batman's 1st "Title Name" Menko card (or card of any kind), in English from the 1940's that looks like the Batman we all know & love. Of the handful of other Batman Menko I have that dates to the late 1940's, the Kagame Batman Menko is considered the most Rare & most Desirable due to the Title of Bat Man (2 words) in English with Gotham City in the background.
By using Historical facts & high magnification, the most significant Batman Card of "All Time" has been Discovered!! This Batman Menko has Earned the Title of Batman's "Official" Rookie Card!!
